


Dangerous Days (Maiko AU Week 2020: Noir)

by Cell151



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Nonbender Zuko (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24380239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cell151/pseuds/Cell151
Summary: A late submission for Maiko AU Week. Negotiator Zuko and his assistant Mai are on the search for a missing client and a metal box he was carrying.
Relationships: Mai & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Zuko mai
Comments: 9
Kudos: 30





	1. The Rules of Negotiation

**Author's Note:**

> This story got a little big because of its mystery plot but overall this will be a short(er) piece
> 
> Inspired by The Big-O and Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

One of the most important rules of negotiation was punctuality. Unfortunately not every client followed those rules.

Zuko leaned against the hood of his car and stared at his watch, noting how late his client was and debated whether or not to add a late fee to his bill. He also wanted to avoid the dirty looks of the other party, a group of self-proclaimed ‘respectable gentlemen,’ who earned that respect the easy through violence and intimidation. It was because of that his client called him to help oversee the exchange.

The scenery was nothing special. As a negotiator Zuko oversaw deals and transactions in abandoned factories, fields, beaches, the back of butcher shops, above a take-out restaurant, alleys, nightclubs, mansions, train stations, and the zoo. Today’s location was less exotic: a neglected parking garage in a quiet part of the city. When the hum and wheeze of an engine echoed off the concrete walls, Zuko knew his client had arrived.

Ten minutes late, he noted.

The car was clunker and the thin, short figure that stepped out of it was even less impressive. He stood about 5’6”, oval shaped head, thin neck and wired glasses that looked to be made out of scrap medal. The man’s suit looked like it had never seen an iron. The jacket was worn and ragged, the colors faded, a short thin tie and ridiculously high-waist slacks. 

It stood out against the flashy and rather gaudy suits of the second party and sophisticated elegance of Zuko’s own suit. Black of course. 

The client reached into the car and very gingerly removed a metallic box from the passenger seat. He turned to face the buyers and then to the hired negotiator. 

Zuko reached into his car and pulled out a leather satchel that his client had requested. Zuko wondered if maybe he should’ve charged him for the satchel as well. 

Zuko walked towards his client and set the satchel on the ground. He opened it up and the client very carefully placed the box in the bag. He stood and cleared his throat. “Payment,” he said firmly, a slight rasp in his voice caused by a bout of laryngitis as a child. 

One of the men, there were a total of six in all, stepped forward with two briefcases. He set them on the ground and opened them revealing stacks of green paper. 

The client got excited but Zuko instructed him to wait. He walked across no-man’s-land and bent down to examine the money. 

Another important rule: involved parties will take any opportunity to cheat.

After spending a few minutes examining the bills to make sure the amount was correct and that they weren’t counterfeit, Zuko waved his client over. The man shuffled over and Zuko pointed to the spot where he wanted the man to place the box. The client did as instructed. 

One of the buyers motioned another man who had been standing at the back to come forward. The man was carrying a device in his hand and bent over the box to examine. Looking at his device he turned to the man seemingly in charge and gave a nod of approval.

“Satisfied,” asked Zuko.

The man in the expensive suit nodded, pulling a cigar out of his pocket and beginning to unwrap it. 

Zuko turned to his client, who was drooling over the money in the suitcase, and repeated the question: “Satisfied.”

The client nodded, his glasses sliding down his nose as he did so. 

“Then this transaction is complete,” Zuko announced.

The buyers loaded the box into the car and within a minute they were driving away. Zuko had no idea what was in the box nor did he care. That was part of the reason why he got so much work due to him no asking any questions as long as the client never divulged what items were being traded. There were notable exceptions of course, particularly kidnapping cases.

This practice didn’t make him popular with the police but it also kept him out jail. 

His client struggled to snap the suitcases closed. 

“Hold it,” Zuko said. His client looked up at him, beads of sweat forming on his face. “Second half of my payment.”

The man nodded nervously. “Yes, yes. Of course.”

After collecting his payment, Zuko watched the man scurry off to his car, barely able to carry the two suitcases full of money. With a tip of the hat, the man managed to his car started on the third try and was off.

Zuko pocketed his money and decided it was time for to depart. The scenery was quite depressing.

Republic City was many things. It all depended on who asked. If you asked those who spent their evenings at the social clubs downtown, ordered wine that cost what a working man makes in a month, or were fortunately enough to get a foot in the door of the film industry, Republic City was a modern metropolis, a sign of progress, the destruction of the old aesthetics in favor of glass, steel and concrete.

For those who lived on the outskirts of the city, out where the buses don’t run, Republic City was a haven from overbearing politics of their home country following years of war and unrest. 

Having served in the military for years, Zuko left behind the Fire Nation and settled in this new metropolis. But unlike those on the edge of town, Zuko saw the world outside his window from his two-story penthouse downtown. 

The benefits of detachment and plausibly deniability.

The morning after the deal Zuko awoke to sudden sunlight as the curtains were quickly drawn aside. The perpetrator was a tall, slim woman with long jet black hair and golden eyes that matched Zuko’s. She wore a dark jacket and skirt, white blouse and a gold pendant. 

“You expect me to be at six and, your words, ‘on the dot’ but it’s okay for you sleep until noon,” the woman said irritably. 

“Is it noon Mai,” asked Zuko, shielding his eyes from the sunlight.

“No it’s eight,” Mai said, brushing some cigarette ash off the couch and onto an ashtray. As his assistant Mai refused any cleaning assignments Zuko tried to have her do. Instead she did them on her own as she loathed uncleanliness.

“Then why are you bothering me,” grumbled Zuko.

“Two detectives are here to see you. They’re waiting in your office. I put out a new suit for you.”

Zuko sat up and rubbed his face. He watched her walk towards the spiral staircase in the corner of the room. His eyes drifted downwards.

“You can’t stop staring at my ass now,” Mai said without turning around.

“You got eyes in the back of your head?”

Mai reached the staircase and turned to look at him with a mischievous grin. “All you have to do is ask.”

“And to what do I owe the pleasure gentlemen?” Zuko descended the stairs to find one of the city’s finest Sokka, a homicide detective, waiting for him. The other man he didn’t recognize. He was shorter in structure, tan skin, arched eyebrows, and short brown hair. He occupied himself with chewing tobacco.

“Sorry to interrupt your hangover there Zuko but we have rather unusual business today,” Sokka set his coffee cup on the table, “About one of your clients: Dr. Daisuke Serizawa.” 

Zuko frowned. “I usually don’t discuss my clients. Unless, of course, there are certain circumstances when I would have to break client confidentiality.”

“I understand but there are…unique circumstances surrounding Dr. Daisuke Serizawa. He’s been reported missing and we found,” Sokka reached into his coat pocket and produced a business card, “one of your cards in his office.”

Zuko took a seat in a chair across the table from the two detectives. “Reported missing by whom?”

“When was the last time you saw Dr. Serizawa,” Sokka asked, ignoring Zuko’s question.

“I had contact with Serizawa two times: once over the phone and once in person and that was yesterday afternoon. Business transaction.”

“What type of business transaction,” asked the other detective.

“And you are,” asked Zuko.

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce Jet from Major Crimes Unit.”

Jet opened his mouth to speak but Zuko caught him off. “The last I saw of Serizawa was three o’clock yesterday afternoon. Now why would a missing person chase attract the attention of Major Crimes and Homicide?”

“ Dr. Serizawa may be the victim of foul play,” explained Sokka, “given he was dealing with stolen property.”

“That’s a big conclusion to jump to considering it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.”

“Well given the people that you do business with, it’s safe to assume that the good doctor won’t be making it home to his wife,” said Jet leaning forward.

Zuko shot him a glare. “For your information junior, all I did was oversee a deal which went off without a hitch.”

Jet opened his mouth to retort but Sokka cut him off. “We’ll need details of the deal and whom he made it with.” 

Zuko ran a hand through his hair. “Half a million yuans for a metallic box.” He noted the look between Sokka and Jet. “The men with whom he did the deal with I didn’t recognize. I set up over the phone. I have the number written down but I doubt it will do you any good.”

Sokka nodded. “Public phone.”

“And here I thought you knew every scumbag in this city,” said Jet smugly.

“Well meeting you today I can add another name to my list,” said Zuko.

Sokka quickly stood up. “I think we’re done here. We’ll get in contact if we have anymore questions.”

“No doubt,” said Zuko getting to his feet. 

“Jet you can head down to the car, I’ll be right there.” After Jet left, not before shooting Zuko another dirty look, Sokka turned to Zuko. “Listen this one’s serious. This isn’t just a worried spouse. The government is looking for this guy.”

“The government? Why?”

Sokka shrugged. “They wouldn’t tell us. Apparently he did some consultant work for them and in the course of doing said work he walked off with government property.”

“And we’re not talking about a paperweight or a box of stationary.”

Sokka put on his hat. “You really don’t know the man who bought it?”

Zuko shook his head. “It’s hard to keep track of the new players in town.”

“Tell me about it. I’ll keep in touch.”

“So we’re going to leave this matter to the police,” said Mai as she poured herself a cup of tea.  
Zuko put jam on his toast. “Where’s the fun in that? I’ll try to track down what work he did and you see what the police pulled out of his apartment. Hopefully they got something that the feds don’t.”

A small smile formed on Mai’s lips. “Want me to work my charm with our friend at the station?”

“Yes and tell her we owe her dinner.”

Mai set her tea cup down. “Let me ask you this: why are we doing this? You’re lucky they didn’t take you in. Why not stay out of it?”

“Natural curiosity.”

“You know what they say about curiosity and the cat.”

Zuko got up and leaned over the table. “Luckily I still have some lives left.” He planted kiss on her lips. Her hands cupped his cheeks.

“I’m actually not that hungry right now,” Mai said loosening his tie.

“Neither am I,” Zuko said hoarsely.

Acting on a hunch, Zuko went to the Department of Records and found Dr. Serizawa’s application for citizenship. Everyone in the United Republic had migrated after the end of the war, Zuko included. Like Zuko, Serizawa also hailed from the Fire Nation and looking at his employment record three entries stuck out:

\- Professor of Physics, University of Sama City, Fire Nation  
\- Consultant, Fire Nation Armed Service, Research & Design, Fire Nation  
\- Consultant, International Electronics, United Republic

There was no mention of any work for the United Republic government unless he was employed after the application was filed. 

Zuko looked up International Electronics in the phonebook. Nothing. He went to the tax office and came up with nothing. He double backed to the Department of Records. No filings of any kind for a company called International Electronics.

Zuko needed to find out what kind of consulting Serizawa did for the Fire Nation military. He needed to find a friendly face but when it came to the Fire Nation, he was in short supply.


	2. Scars of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko seeks out an old friend and his past is revealed

For Zuko, life in Republic City should’ve been a fresh start but one can never truly escape the past. Especially when it’s carved into the skin.

The war between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom had ended eight years ago. During the war Zuko had achieved the rank of field commander upon graduating from the military academy. Contrary to many thought, he earned his rank by his academic performance and not by nepotism. 

Zuko was the son of General Ozai; prince of the Fire Nation, son of Firelord Azulon and second in line to the throne. This would’ve made Zuko a prince as well but that title had no bearing anymore. His uncle, General Iroh, led a coup against Azulon and ended the war. After that the Fire Nation monarchy came to an end. Not that Zuko minded. He didn’t care for the title, especially when all it brought was him was pain and trauma. 

As far back as he could remember he wanted his father’s attention and approval. No matter what he did he would never earn it for Ozai never get over the fact that his son was a nonbender. 

But as long as he did exactly what his father told him and did not question him, Zuko was granted what he wanted although somewhat begrudgingly. But that changed when he saw the decisions he made on the battlefield have actual consequences. 

He remembered the first time he visited an aid station. The screams, the stench, the madness of it all. And mere yards away the other officers who were lucky to stay behind the front lines sipped at their tea and complained that the breeze was too chilly. When one of them accused Zuko of not having the stomach for it he nearly broke the man’s jaw. 

Then came the fateful day he was summoned back to the capital to take part in a strategy meeting. His grandfather and father accused him of not being aggressive enough. Zuko argued that he was being cautious as the outpost that he had been ordered to take multiple times was high up in the mountains near Omashu. Any direct attack would’ve resulted in needless deaths. 

In the verbal exchange that followed Zuko must’ve said something for Ozai’s emotionless stare turned to rage. He demanded that Zuko to get on his knees in the middle of the throne room and beg for forgiveness. 

Zuko remembered that he felt numb but despite the fear that those vengeful eyes bore into him, he refused. He remembered the dead and dying. He remembered the endless letters he signed with a rubber stamp. Letters that assured the family of the deceased that their son died an honorable death and that their sacrifice helped win the battle. 

With all that on his mind he looked in his father’s eyes and said, “No.”

There was a long pause. The only sound in the throne room was the flicker of the flames that illuminated the gaunt, pale face of the Firelord.

“You insolent little shit,” spat Ozai, striding towards Zuko, believing his height would intimidate him. It wouldn’t work as Zuko had grown to be the same height as him. “I’ll give you one more opportunity to beg for my forgiveness!”

Zuko didn’t budge. “I will not lead my men into a massacre for some pointless advance. I have been involved in eight operations.” Zuko jabbed his finger towards his father. “You haven’t even left the Fire Nation since this war began!”

Azulon could be heard chuckling to himself. These meetings were usually so dull to him. 

“Courtyard. Twenty minutes. Swords,” hissed Ozai through his teeth. “I should incinerate you in an Agni Kai but I will give you a fighting chance.”

Zuko felt a smirk tug at his lips although it had been involuntary. “You’re on.”

Fencing was Zuko’s only way of making up for his lack of bending. His father never watched any of his lessons or tournaments. General Ozai only had time for one of his children and that child was his daughter Azula.: the firebending prodigy in the family.

The only people in his life who truly cared for him was his mother, his uncle Iroh and his cousin Lu Ten. The day of the sword duel was the last he saw of his mother. Standing in a sea of spectators, she watched with a sorrowful expression as father and son clashed swords. 

Those in attendance that day learned two things. The first was that General Ozai was a terrible swordfighter and there was little doubt he’d fare poorly at any type of combat that didn’t involved firebending. By the time the match was over, he was on the ground with multiple gashes across his body. None were fatal but enough to leave scars.

“Do you yield,” Zuko asked standing over him. When Ozai didn’t answer, Zuko repeated the question while positioning his sword closer to his father’s throat.

“I yield,” Ozai said in a low voice.

The second thing the crowd learned that day was that General Ozai was not honorable.

Zuko realized he was standing too close but before he could adjust his position he felt his feet leave the ground. Ozai was on top of him, pulling a dagger from Zuko’s boot, a gift from Iroh, and slashed it across his face. 

It was Azulon who saved Zuko’s life. “Enough! The boy has learned his lesson. This duel is over!”

As Zuko clutched at his bleeding face, he heard the knife clatter to the ground. He opened his right eye and saw a tall shadowy figure standing above him.

“No. He hasn’t.”

The official record was that upon recovery in hospital Prince Zuko returned to his post. He was killed during an assault on an outpost outside Omashu. A memorial stone was placed in the palace garden to honor his sacrifice. 

The same day the prince of the Fire nation died, an inmate arrived at the Boiling Rock prison. An Earth Kingdom soldier captured during the failed assault on the Fire Nation capital on the day of the eclipse. His only identification was a rusty dog-tag with ‘Lee’ written on it, an Earth Kingdom dagger and a nasty scar across the left side of his face. While his golden eyes were unusual, the warden of the prison dismissed it as him being a bastard child of a Fire Nation soldier and a Earth Kingdom peasant. 

Lee didn’t say anything as he was being processed. There was nothing he could do. Even if he had firebending that wouldn’t have matter as there were firebender prisoners in the Boiling Rock and they had no luck escaping.

The prison held an eclectic group: Fire Nation deserters and resistance fighters, Earth Kingdom soldiers and even a few unlucky Water Tribe fishermen. 

‘Lee’ kept to himself and didn’t speak to anyone. That was until one day out in the yard a woman who short auburn hair walked up to him. 

“You look like someone who could use someone to talk to.”

“Do I,” asked Zuko. 

“You do,” the woman said with a nod, “Out of all the people here, you’re the most pitiful one.”

Zuko usually would’ve grunted or snapped back at such comment but instead he could only bark out a laugh.

The woman was Suki, a member of the Kyoshi Warriors who had been captured outside Ba Sing Sei. According to her, the city was still under attack by General Iroh. She was in her early to mid twenties, about the same age as him. It was clear she hadn’t been here a long time as she didn’t have the haggard look of the others. 

“What’s your story,” Suki asked.

“You wouldn’t believe if I told you.”

“Try me,” Suki said crossing her arms. So Zuko told her. “I’m not buying it,” she said after a very long pause.

“Told you.”

Eventually Suki did come around to believing it given the amount of detail Zuko’s story had. Not that it mattered considering that there was no way out of the Boiling Rock.

Then one day another woman entered Zuko’s life. Or rather: re-entered. 

He recognized her slim figure, long jet-black hair and gold eyes even from 30 feet below. She leaned on the catwalk railing looking bored out of her mind as the warden, her uncle, jabbered on and on. 

“Come let me show you where we put the troublemakers. We might even have one in the Cooler today.” The warden paused in his step when he noticed his niece wasn’t following him. “Mai?”

Mai was looking at something or rather someone below. “Sorry Uncle. I’m coming,” she said turning her attention to him. She followed after the warden but took one look back at the yard below. For a moment she thought she had seen a ghost.

“So that’s your plan,” Suki asked as Zuko and her washed the floor. “Contact your childhood friend whom you haven’t seen in years and have her do what exactly?”

“Contact my Uncle Iroh or my Cousin Lu Ten.”

“Who are both at the moment trying to burn Ba Sing Sei to the ground?”

Zuko paused. “…Yes?”

“And what about me,” Suki asked, placing a hand on her hip. “Outside these walls we wouldn’t be allies.”

“You think I care about serving the Fire Nation? Our best hope is to convince my uncle to end the war. The military respects him way more then they do my father. This senseless killing was got to end. Besides you said the Avatar has returned.”

Suki nodded. “He has yes. I joined his group after some commander named Zhao burned my village down.”

Zuko nodded. “Yeah that sounds like Zhoa.”

Suki rolled her eyes as she scrubbed at the floor. “Wonderful company you surround yourself with.”

“Yeah,” Zuko look at his pruned hands and tossed the sponge aside in disgust, “Not by choice.”

Days later Zuko got his chance when Mai appeared on the catwalk again, this time alone. She was staring off into the horizon when she heard a voice call to her from below.

“Mai!”

Mai looked down to see the same prisoner from a few days ago standing below her. Her eyes went wide.

“Hi,” he said with awkward wave. Mai eyed him suspiciously and look she was about to bolt, perhaps to fetch a guard. “Mai it’s me! Zuko! Remember the apple tree we used to sit under?”

Mai’s hands tighten around the guardrail. Him knowing her name could’ve been that he overheard her uncle speaking to her. But to know that…

“Zuko?”

“What’s left,” said Zuko referring to his gaunt appearance. 

“How did you end up here?”

Zuko shrugged. “I don’t exactly know. While I was in the hospital they must’ve kept me drugged long enough until they got me here and passed me off as an Earth Kingdom prisoner. You think anyone would have believed me if I told them who I really am?”

“I’m still not fully convinced given as you’re technically dead.”

“They said I was dead?”

Mai nodded. “Omashu. There’s a memorial stone in the palace garden.”

Zuko paused, not sure how to process this new piece of information. “Is it nice?”

“Zuko,” hissed Mai, “or whoever you are, is that really important right now?”

“Need more convincing? I’ve got two words for you: Fruit tarts,” Zuko said. A couple feet away Suki raised an eyebrow at this exchange.

There was pause from Mai before she spoke again. “What do you need?”

“Two guard uniforms. You’re ready to head back home and you’ll need an escort.”

“Three uniforms,” Suki said stepping forward to join the conversation.

“What,” asked Zuko turning to her.

“Who are you,” Mai asked with a glare.

“Name’s Suki and don’t worry, he’s not my type,” Suki turned to Zuko, “No offense.”

Zuko shrugged. “None taken. Who’s this third person?”

“I’ll tell you later. Trust me we’ll need him.”

Zuko regarded her for a moment and turned to Mai. “Three uniforms.”

Mai took a quick look around to see if anyone was watching them. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said quickly before walking away. 

“Nice seeing you again,” Zuko said rather meekly as Mai disappeared from view. 

“Good work Mr. Smooth Talker,” Suki clapped him on the back.

Two days later Zuko awoke in his cell to find a key lying on the floor with a note attached. It read: ‘Key to the guard locker room. This is an appalling stupid plan but I guess there’s no other way. Don’t get killed, Mai.’

Zuko and Suki managed to talk the prisoners who were on laundry duty to switch with them. Zuko kept an eye on the time as they worked in the laundry room. He made a point of memorizing when the shift change occurred so that when they infiltrated the locker room there would be little to no guards there. 

“Okay. I think we’re good to go,” Zuko said to Suki.

“Good,” Suki said tossing the bundle of clothes to the floor. The guard overseeing them walked over to her and was pulling his club out of its holster when she delivered a quick jab to the face. 

To Zuko’s surprise that was all it took as the guard stumbled back and finally collapsed to the floor.

Suki turned to him and rubbed her knuckles. “I have a lot of pent up rage.”

“Save it in case this plan goes to shit.”

They ran to the locker room and thankfully both the men’s and women’s rooms were empty. After a quick wash in the showers the pair found some uniforms to change into. Suki met Zuko outside the locker room as he put on his helmet. 

“Okay. Grab another uniform and meet me in the laundry room.” 

Before Zuko could say anything the Kyoshi Warrior was already sprinting away. He returned to the laundry room and passed the time by hiding the passed out in guard in one of the laundry carts. 

When Suki returned she was accompanied by a Water Tribesman. “This is Hadoka, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.”

It took a few moments for Zuko to find his voice. 

Meeting a soldier like Suki was one thing but a leader was different. “Call me Lee.”

“Nice to meet you Lee,” said Hadoka, giving him a slight bow, “What’s the plan?”

“Oh good you’re not dead,” said Mai when they met her on the catwalk. Mai glanced at the disguised Hadoka. “I’m not going to ask. Be prepared if this thing goes south.”

“You needn’t worry,” Suki said, “We can handle it.”

“I’m not worrying.” As a demonstration, Mai lifted her sleeve to reveal a black band wrapped around her wrist. Attached to it were a number of small throwing knifes.

“Impressive,” Suki commended. She turned to Zuko and Hadoka. “Try and keep up gentlemen.”

Zuko and Hadoka shared a look as the women walked ahead.

“I’m sorry to see you go so soon Mai,” the Warden said as they waited for the cable car to arrive.

“I’m sorry too,” Mai lied, “But with Tom-Tom unwell, Mother needs help looking after him while Father is away on business.”

“I understand.” The cable car came to a halt and the door opened. “Ah here we are.” He gave Mai a hug. “Take care Mai.”

“You too Uncle.” Mai hugged him back and gave him a bow afterwards. She boarded the car with Zuko, Suki and Hadoka in tow.

“Mai?”

The group collectively felt a pit open in their stomachs. 

Mai turned to face her uncle. “Yes Uncle?”

“Do you really need three guards to accompany you,” the warden asked gesturing to her escort detail.

Mai shrugged and said in an almost monotone voice. “Can’t be too careful these days. These are dangerous days after all.”

The doors of the cable car closed and like that Zuko, Suki and Hadoka became the first prisoners to ever escape from the Boiling Rock.

“Colonel Jee will see you now sir,” said the secretary.

Zuko nodded and tossed the magazine he wasn’t reading onto the table. He stood as the door ahead of him opened to reveal General Iroh’s right hand man and his Lieutenant during his brief career as a commander.

“Prince Zuko, it’s good to see you,” Jee said bowing to him. Zuko bowed back but made sure Jee saw his look of displeasure. “I’m sorry. I forgot you’ve moved on from that.”

“Easy to ditch the title when there’s no Firelord,” said Zuko as the two men shook hands. 

“What can I help you with?”

“Dr. Daisuke Serizawa,” Zuko said as he marveled at the amount of keepsakes Jee had on display. Aside from being a good soldier, Jee had an eye for antiques. Being a man of principle he never looted or stole any items he collected on his travels dispute the temptation of a few artifacts that would have made him rich.

Zuko turned to Jee to see the older man with a sour look on his face. “I remember,” he said as he sat behind a large oak desk. “War Criminal Tribunal. Serizawa was cleared.”

“You sat on the tribunal. What did you make of him?”

Jee leaned back in his chair. “Not a political man. An academic. Obviously he didn’t let his morals did not get in the way of scientific research.”

“What exactly did he work on?”

“Weapons development. Firelord Azulon was unhappy with how the siege of Ba Sing Sei was going under General Iroh. Ozai offered an alternative solution.”

“So he would get the credit and not Iroh.”

Jee nodded. “ Sibling rivalry.”

“Know a lot about that. What was the result of Serizawa’s research?”

Jee stared down at the floor, eternally debating how much he should tell or what he could tell. “Serizawa developed a incendiary bomb. Dropped from a zeppelin at high altitudes, detonates in the air just before impact, ignites everything in the area. With multiple bombs going off you get a fire that spreads fast and is hard to put out.”

Zuko leaned forward in his chair. “Did he succeed?”

Jee nodded. “The plan was perform an aerial bombardment of Ba Sing Sei. Rather than breach its walls, attack from above and set the city ablaze. Of course the war ended before that could happen.” Jee paused. “They did perform one test,” he says, placing his folded hands onto the desk surface, “I didn’t see it firsthand but I saw the aftermath of it. We were on patrol heading south. I thought what we were walking through was the result of a forest fire. You would have never known there ever was a town there.” Jee snapped his fingers. “Gone. Just like that.”

The room was silent for a long time. Finally Zuko got up to leave. “Thank you for your time Colonel.”

Jee stood. “Zuko I don’t know what business you have with Dr. Serizawa but I recommend staying out of whatever he’s gotten himself involved with.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that. It was nice to see you Jee.” Zuko started for the door.

“Zuko, there was nothing you could’ve done about Omashu.” The younger man stopped as he reached the door. “No matter what you did, we were going to charge that hill and we were going to get slaughtered.”

Zuko slowly nodded. “Yeah I know.” He opened the door.

“Given the chance, would have you done it differently?”

“Yeah,” Zuko turned to face Jee, “I would’ve gone for the neck.”


	3. Trinitite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko makes a startling discovery and Mai finds one of Dr. Serizawa's colleagues. The truth behind the missing professor is far sinister then they ever could have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again here is a very late addition to this story. I’ve been trying pushing myself lately to update and/or wrap these old stories that I’ve been procrastinating on. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this late update to May Maiko Week 2020 ;)

“If you want my advice, I think you and Zuko should stay out of it.” Mai was meeting with her childhood friend Ty Lee and the younger girl was acting in a way that she had never seen before. She was jumpy, speaking in a soft voice that was difficult to hear over the noise of the lunch crowd. 

“You do realize you’re acting quite suspicious,” Mai said, stirring her tea.

“I’m not kidding,” Ty Lee leaned over the table more. Mai had to move the salt and pepper shakers out of the way. “Serizawa wasn’t even missing for twenty-four hours and all of the sudden the police and army were removing items from his apartment.”

After the war Ty Lee grew tired of life in the circus and, following Mai’s advice, immigrated to Republic City, hooking up Suki who had set up a new Kyoshi Warriors dojo in the city. While working on her training, she found work for the police department in their records division. Despite initial impression, Ty Lee was highly organized, a fast typist and had a photographic memory. This proved useful when Zuko and Mai needed to know something that the cops weren’t sharing. 

“Did you see anything that stood out?”

“We didn’t see most of it,” Ty Lee relaxed back in her chair, “What we got was normal stuff. Textbooks, family heirlooms, clothing, stuff like that. All files were confiscated by the army.” Ty Lee reached into her pocket and pulled out a small notebook. “There was an item of note. We were logging the items that had been brought in. The whole time a man from the government was watching over us. There was this pamphlet for a retirement community. It’s located along the southern coast, just off route 30. I was about to log it when the government man stepped in and seized it.”

“That is odd,” Mai agreed. She examined the piece of paper Ty Lee handed her. 

It read: OAK RIDGE SEASIDE RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX

Included was the address and phone number.

“Still, not suspicious that Serizawa was looking into retiring.” Mai pocketed the slip of paper.

“Thinking of retiring just after turning forty-nine two months ago,” Ty Lee asks.

Mai frowned as she watched the tea swirl inside her cup. “Perhaps he was afraid he wasn’t going to live long enough to see retirement.”

  
  
  
  


“You’ve been busy haven’t you ashmaker?”

Zuko had just left the Fire Nation Embassy when he heard the sneering voice. He turned to see Detective Jet stroll up. A short woman with short brown hair, dressed in a leather jacket and wearing what seemed to be a permanent scowl, accompanied him. Jet was picking at his teeth with a toothpick. 

“I’ve got things to do junior.” He nodded at the woman. “Is this Take Your Daughter to Work Day?”

The woman growled and started towards him but Jet put a hand on her shoulder. “This is my associate Smellerbee.”

Zuko paused for a moment to let that sink in. “My condolences.” He turned and started to walk away. 

“First the Department of Records and now the embassy. Pretty unusual morning routine,” Jet said walking behind him. 

“You should see what I do on Thursdays.” Zuko stopped and turned to face Jet. “What is this anyway?”

“Just a friendly chat,” Jet said with a salesman smile. 

“Make an appointment and I’ll take it under consideration. You want to question me, get a warrant. Until then fuck off.”

Jet grinned and stepped closer. “You think you’re pretty smart don’t you?” Jet shoved Zuko violently. Zuko responded by pushing him back. Smellerbee jumped in but a kick from Zuko sent her to the pavement. Jet grabbed Zuko by the collar and Zuko did the same. “You just remember you don’t have your uncle to look after you anymore! You’re like everyone else here. Step out of line and you’ll be in a world of hurt.”

“You write that line yourself? Or did Shortstop here help you with it,” Zuko said with a grin.

Jet pushed him away and brushed himself off. “Remember what I told you. Stay in line ashmaker.”

“Have a good day officer,” Zuko said sarcastically as Jet and Smellerbee walk away, the latter throwing him one more murderous look. Zuko turned away and pulled out a wallet from his jacket pocket. Inside was Detective Jet’s badge that he swiped during their brief exchange. “This should come in handy.”

  
  
  


“Well I have to be getting back,” Ty Lee gave Mai a hug after they exited the restaurant, “Boss has been hounding me about taking long lunch breaks.” She gave Mai a grin. “You know, it’s been a while since I’ve had some fun with you and Zuko. I think you owe me for this one.”

“I think you’re right,” Mai said with a slight smile, “I’ll bring it up to him when I see him later.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Ty Lee said before giving Mai a small kiss on the cheek before departing.

After parting with Ty Lee, Mai went to the nearest phone booth to give this Oak Ridge place a call. After a few rings a female voice answered.

“Oak Ridge.”

“Yes I was calling to inquire about your establishment. My grandfather is getting up there in age and after his wife passed away—“

“How did you get this number,” the woman on the other end cut in.

Mai paused for a moment. “It was on a pamphlet.”

“How did you receive the pamphlet?”

“I don’t see why that is relevant.”

There was a pause on the other end. “What is your name ma’am?”

“I think I would like to speak to the manager.”

There was another pause before the person on the other end hung up. Mai slowly placed the receiver back on the cradle and exited the phone booth.

It would appear that Ty Lee’s suspicions were correct. 

  
  
  


It took Zuko two hours to cross town to the Department of Vehicle Impoundment. He made sure he wasn’t followed this time. The only possible lead he had at the moment was to see if anyone picked up that rust bucket Dr. Serizawa was driving. There was a possibility he ditched it before he left town. He couldn’t see a man of science with two briefcases full of money take a gamble of driving across the desert in that jalopy. 

The vehicle impoundment office gave the Department of Motor Vehicles a run for its money in terms of inhospitality and inconvenience. Zuko must’ve ranged the bell on the counter at least ten times before a tall thin man in a grey jumpsuit covered in oil stains slowly strolled up to the counter. He had the face of a basset hound. As someone who had to deal with irate people all day, every day he seemed to know what Zuko was about as soon as he laid eyes on him. 

“Someone nick your sports car off the street while you were having cocktails,” the man asked in a drawl voice. 

Zuko flashed the badge he  _ borrowed _ . “Detective Jet. I’m running a missing persons case. I was wondering if I could check the newest acquisitions in the past twenty-four hours.”

The man only slightly raised his brow upon seeing the badge. He didn’t seem impressed or maybe there was nothing left to impress him. He opened a drawer and pulled out a worn ledger book. “Year or model of the vehicle?”

“I didn’t catch the model but I’ll recognize it when I see it. It’s a real clunker.”

“Pal all I deal with is clunkers.” He waved his hand. “Follow me. We’ll walk the yard.”

Zuko was impressed by the vast amount of cars that were squeezed into the parking lot.

“In one week we can see upwards to forty cars,” the thin man explained. “Many are abandoned, others stolen, and many are parking violations. Cops got to meet their quotas and the city needs funding so if your meter runs out and you’re not back, your fine automobile ends up here.” He pointed his clipboard to a section of parked cars. “We keep our new stuff here.”

Zuko walked along three rows of cars until he came upon a familiar, battered sight. “This is it.” Serizawa’s car looked the same as yesterday. “Where was it found?”

The thin man looked at this clipboard. “Alleyway on 36 th . Garment district. Pretty lucky it’s still intact. Leave your car in some neighborhoods and it’ll be stripped down to the seats in no time.” He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose. “Must’ve been abandoned. Took the license plate with ‘em. No keys.”

Zuko opened the door and took a look inside. In comparison to the outside, the interior was well maintained. There wasn’t so much as a crumb on the leather seats or the floor. He opened the glove compartment: Nothing but a road map and some loose change. He searched the back and again found nothing of interest.

“I’ll be right,” the thin man announced as he walked away.

As soon as he was out of sight Zuko reached down the driver seat and pulled the trunk release lever. With a  _ clunk _ sound the trunk sprang open. Zuko walked towards the back of the car and jumped backwards as he was hit by a pungent smell. A large dark shape lay in the back seat.

He eased forward and saw what he had expected. It was a burnt corpse. Clothes and skin were blackened, the body looked almost mummified. The mouth hung open displaying a row of burnt teeth. It would make identifying the body easier. But Zuko didn’t have time to wait for a dental records check to know who this was. He knew who it was as soon as he saw the wire frame glasses that had been partially melted. 

It was Dr. Daisuke Serizawa. 

“Looks like your retirement got cut short.” Zuko pulled out a handkerchief and held it over his nose and bent down to see if there were any clues left. He gently peeled back the late doctor’s jacket and reached into its inner pocket. There was something inside.

What he pulled was the remains of Serizawa’s wallet, its shape distorted due to the heat. Zuko pried it open and found the contents inside hadn’t been completely destroyed. 

Zuko glanced around and saw the manager hadn’t returned yet. He didn’t have a lot of time. He pocketed everything he could grab except for Serizawa’s drivers license, which confirmed that this was indeed Serizawa, and whatever cash he had. 

Zuko stuffed the wallet back into the inner coat pocket and searched the other pockets although as he did so the charred remains of his clothes were starting to crumble away. He searched the rest of the trunk for anything else but came up with nothing. Hopefully the items he extracted from his wallet would provide some clue. 

He grabbed the trunk hood and was about to close it but he spared a moment to give Serizawa one last glance. He thought about what Jee had told him about that town that once existed in the Earth Kingdom. Until Serizawa’s bomb erased it. He closed the trunk. It might have been poetic justice but there was no one left to appreciate his demise. 

A thought suddenly came to him and he walked around to the passenger side. He reached in and opened the glove box. He pulled out the map and was able to make out some hand drawn markings before he heard a gruff voice.

“So? Is this car you’re looking forward for?”

Zuko nearly jumped and hit his head on the roof. He quickly pocketed the map. “Don’t know for sure until I call in the registration number. If we get a match I’ll send one of my guys over to take a look at it.” He turned and walked towards the entrance of the yard. “Appreciate the help.”

The thin man only grunted and blew his nose again. 

  
  


Zuko sat in his chair and looked over the items he lifted from Serizawa’s car. He immediately discarded the numerous soup coupons. There was a business card for a gentlemen’s club downtown, not too far away from city hall. Joint called The Dancers Club. He made a note to check it out. 

The next significant item was a card for a realtor company called Griffin Realtor with the winged mythological creature serving as the logo. There was no phone number or address but on the back of the card there was a handwritten address: 815 Coastal Highway.

Zuko pulled the map of his jacket pocket and examined it. There were various markings on a large desert region outside the city and not too far away from the mountain ranges that divided the United Republic and the Earth Kingdom. 

There were four circles about twenty or so miles apart from one another and scribbled next to them were what appeared to be timestamps.

Gate D 03:00 - 03:15 G: 4

Gate B 14:00 -14:05 G: 6

Gate F 16:45 – 16:55 G: 3

Gate A 12:15 - 12:20 G: 9

Zuko leaned back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was starting to think that he should have heeded Mai’s advice and stayed out of this one. He glanced at the map again and there was another marker right in the middle of nowhere. Serizawa had drawn a big black dot right in the middle. The area was labeled on the map as: Yucca Lake.

  
  
  


Going by the address provided by Ty Lee, the Oak Ridge Residential Home was located in what appeared to be a two-story mansion along the coast. A brick wall surrounded the property and a guardhouse was located at the entrance. From the quick glance Mai was able to get of the man inside revealed he was no rent-a-cop. He wore a military uniform.

“What has the idiot gotten us into this time,” remarked Mai as she parked off to the side of the road about a half-mile away. She got out, crossed the road and field until she reached the cliff. It was a sharp drop off to the beach below. She followed the edge of the cliff to the compound. She was partially hidden from sight by the tall grass of the field that flanked one side of the property.

When she reached the brick wall she calculated the odds of being able to successfully scale it. She deduced that a better option would be to find another entrance around back. Besides she was wearing a skirt for she hadn’t planned on doing any kind of stealth work today. 

“What am I getting into,” she quietly remarked to herself.

Working her way around the side she came across a small iron door built into the wall. She tried the handle. Locked.

“Wouldn’t want to make things too easy.” Mai reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her lock picking tools. She bent down and got to work. Lock picking along knife throwing was one of the skills she had taught herself growing up. It was probably one of the reasons Azula wanted to be her ‘friend’ as Mai could get them into any locked door in the royal palace. 

After a minute of work she heard a  _ click _ . She carefully removed the lock and opened the door. She hoped that wasn’t a sentry that patrolled the perimeter.

Peeking from behind the door Mai saw a well-kept lawn, planted trees, a croquet and shuffleboard court, and patio with a number of people, mainly older men, seated at tables playing chairs. There were two women in what looked like nurse uniforms serving drinks. 

Looking towards the building Mai scoped out the nearest point of entry. She was in luck that one of the first floor windows was opened. This approach had advantages and disadvantages. It was a quick one in and there was no need to worry about locked doors. On the other hand if she was caught it would be hard to justify climbing through a window.

Mai decided to go for it and made for the nearest tree, hoping her black attire didn’t stand out. It was times like these where one had to judge whether to make fast or slow movements. She glanced around the tree and saw that the group assembled outside hadn’t noticed her. A quick dash and she was against the wall of the building. She peered through the window and saw what looked like a hospital room. There were two empty beds and the door to the hallway was open. Mai decided to not wait around and made short work of climbing through the window.

The key rule of sneaking around an area you’re not supposed to be in is to act like you’re supposed to be. She found often that if discovered and questioned acting indignant was the best way of getting out of a situation. The last thing someone wanted to do whether it be a security guard or secretary was deal with someone who threatens to talk to their supervisor.

So when the young nurse in the hallway asked who she was, Mai fixed her with a glare and chastised the poor girl to mind her own business. The nurse quickly slinked away into one of the rooms. 

Once she was in the clear Mai began to look around for someone to interrogate about the nature of this place. Most of the rooms were empty and the few she found that were occupied had rather sickly looking men inside. They lay in bed with oxygen masks over their faces and IV tubes in their arms. 

Eventually she found a room with a single occupant who was conscious. The man looked rather gaunt and sickly but was not in the same condition as the others. At least not yet. 

“Who are you,” asked the man in a wheezy voice. He was bald apart from strands of hair here and there. He was also very thin. 

“I’m looking for Dr. Serizawa,” Mai told him, closing the door behind her.

The man sat up in his bed. He eyed a button that was attached to the bed railing. “Serizawa? Why?”

Mai walked towards him. He made a grab for the call button but Mai was faster. She seized his arm and drew a knife with her other hand. The man’s eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open.

“I can end you before you can say a syllable,” Mai said in a low voice, “Serizawa’s missing. Yesterday he exchanged something in a lead box for a lot of cash and now the police and military are looking for him.”

A look of horror formed on the man’s face. “H-He didn’t…He couldn’t! Oh spirits.” Mai let go of his hand and seized the call button from the bed. Using her knife she cut the wire. “W-Who are you?”

“A private investigator,” Mai lied a little although parts of her job were similar to that of a P.I. “An associate of mine negotiated the deal between Serizawa and a rather shady group of people. This morning the police questioned us about the deal. We don’t know where the box went and we don’t know where Serizawa is. This place is our only lead because a brochure was found in his apartment.” She leaned in closer. “Now tell me: What was Serizawa working on? What is this place?”

The man sunk down onto the bed as he tried to come to terms with what he had been told. He cleared his throat and spoke in a low raspy voice. 

“I am Dr. Onishi. I, along with Dr. Serizawa and my colleagues, built Pandora’s Box.”

  
  


It took Zuko close to three hours to drive out to one of the spots marked on Serizawa’s map. The road he found himself on was off the main highway and deserted yet well maintained. The miles upon miles of fencing and barbed wire coupled with signs warning against trespassing would clue anyone with a shred of intellect that the area was being used by the military for a secretive purpose.

As indicated on the map an entry point came into view half a mile down the road. Zuko pulled over to the side of the road hoping to stay out of sight but his black automobile stood out in the desert landscape. 

The checkpoint consisted of a gate, a guardhouse, a few vehicles and more warning signs. Zuko looked at his watch. It was 4:45 PM or 16:45 as it was marked on the map next to Gate F. He grabbed a pair of binoculars from the backseat and got out of the car. He angled the lens towards the checkpoint and saw a military truck driving down the dirt road towards the gate. It stopped and three guards got out. The three guards positioned at the gate left their posts and got into the truck while the new arrivals took their place. 

“Shift change,” Zuko remarked to himself. He watched as the truck turned around and proceeded down the road towards what he could guess was a military facility that was hidden from view. He glanced at his watch. 4:50 PM or 16:50. 

Zuko now knew the origin of that metal box. Serizawa did his homework to determine the safest method to get his prize out of there. Though the question remained what was inside and what Serizawa was doing here.

  
  
  


It took a few minutes for Dr. Onishi to gather himself to tell his story. During that time Mai had put away her knife and pulled up a chair to the side of the bed, trying her best to adopt a non threatening stance while also keeping alert.

Dr. Onishi stared out the window that overlooked a vegetable garden. 

“After the war many of us working in the various science fields immigrated to the United Republic. For many of us it was a new start and an opportunity to fully apply ourselves. The Fire Nation was in disarray, the Earth Kingdom fractured and the Water Tribes largely shunned technology. Unless you wanted to spend the rest of your life trying to convince the local villagers that leeches won’t get rid of a headache or mending ostrich-horseshoes, Republic City was the place to be.” Onishi leaned his head back. “It was wonderful. Brand new facilities, the latest equipment, our own lodgings, all on the government dime.” Onishi scoffs. “Fools. We should’ve realized what they really intended for us.”

“Which was,” prompted Mai.

Onishi turned his gaze towards her. “Military. Someone high up knew about Serizawa’s incendiary bomb. They wanted to replicate that on a much larger scale. But Serizawa could only do so much. They needed a team of physicists to do it. All together there were twenty-five of us including Serizawa and myself.”

After a brief pause Onishi continued.

“The result of a year and a half’s work was a device. That’s what we called it at least. The military was anxious to see if it worked so we arranged a test in the middle of the desert. Miles upon miles of barren landscape, dried up lakes and mountain ranges. We set up the testing site in a valley to prevent detection by locals and limit the exposure to fallout. After many delays we were finally ready. The sun went down and we waited in our concrete bunker about ten or fifteen miles away from ground zero. Two o’clock came around. Keep in mind it was pitch dark. There wasn’t a single light in any direction, not even a vehicle headlight. At exactly 2:00 AM the countdown began and when it reached zero night suddenly turned into day.” Onishi snapped his finger. “Like that! Instant! You could see the whole valley illuminated. The device detonated into a massive fireball that rose high up into the air. We could feel the heat on our faces and when the shockwave hit us minutes later it cracked the bunker walls.” Onishi ran his hand across his forehead. “It sounded like…like we had blown open the doors to the Underworld. The sight was…terrifying but beautiful in a way. This wasn’t created by nature or the spirits, this was man made! We had done the impossible. Harnessed the power of the atom into the most powerful device on this planet.”

The burst of energy that had taken Onishi now faded as he slumped back onto his bed. 

“As we watched it no one said anything. We just stared at it. I looked over at Serizawa. He was smiling like…like a proud father. Keep in mind Serizawa was a rather emotionless man, at least while he was working. But the expression on his face that night, illuminated by the light of his creation, was one of almost childlike wonder. He turned to me and said ‘It works.’ I stared back at him for a while before I nodded and acknowledged that it had worked. ‘The damn thing works.’ I believe those were my exact words.”

Silence followed as Mai tried to comprehend the story being told to her. “What happened after that?”

“The military was very pleased. They ordered additional tests hoping to increase the magnitude of the blast. But then the illness came.” He turned to Mai. “I told you that there were twenty-five of us on the project. We tested the device last summer. Now twelve of us remain. You see in order to produce the results we needed there was only one solution: uranium, which gives off radiation. Invisible and deadly.”

“Detectable,” asked Mai.

“Yes,” Onishi said with a nod.

“The box Serizawa had was metallic and one of the buyers had some kind of device when he was examining it.”

“Damn fool,” hissed Onishi, sitting up with some difficulty. “What was he thinking?”

“So your team got infected with this stuff and the government set you up here,” Mai asked, sensing Onishi was about to launch into a rant. “To any observer it’s just a nursing home.”

“More like a hospice,” Onishi said glumly, “It was the least they could do. As long as we don’t talk about the project they see to it that our final days are comfortable and that our families are compensated. Thus here we are.”

“I saw some elderly men out on the patio.”

“My colleagues. And we’re not that old. I’m the oldest and I’m forty-five. This is what it does to you. It eats you away. For some it’s quick and for some it’s gradual, depending on length and intensity of exposure. Poor Togusa got it the worst. An accident in the lab led to intense exposure that lasted no more than five seconds. He was dead within a week. The lad was only twenty-three.”

“Serizawa received the pamphlet for this place. Why did he reject the offer? It’s obvious he had different plans for his retirement.”

Onishi shook his head. “I should’ve known this would lead to trouble. He was angry that he was being taken off the project and that the military was going to keep the project under wraps until the ‘appropriate time.’”

“So that’s all this was,” Mai said softly, “He wanted to bask in the accolades of his scientific achievement but was denied that. He couldn’t work on the project further and no doubt he wasn’t happy with the financial composition. So he found an alternate way to profit off his work.”

“The folly of man,” Onishi says with a sigh. “You have your answers young lady.”

“But no idea of where Serizawa is or the box. Unless my boss dug something up.” She leaned forward. “What exactly is in the box?”

“It horrifies me just to even think about what he took. Whatever it is, it must be returned to the authorities at once. If it is mishandled…” Onishi shut his eyes and leaned forward grasping his stomach.    
  
“Are you okay,” asked Mai rising from the chair. 

“I’m fine,” Onishi panted, “I’m fine.” He gently lowers himself back onto the bed, still clutching his stomach. “Just…need…some...” His trailed off hand pressed a button located on his right side that was connected to the IV drip. He started to relax a little.

Mai used the moment to leave. She had gathered as much as she could.

“I wish I could take it back,” Onishi said weakly, “It was our hubris. We never took a moment to consider the consequences of our actions.” He closed his eyes as the painkillers took hold. “My name…our names…known forever…as the ones who ushered forth the apocalypse…the destruction of the world.”

  
  


As Zuko turned down another unmarked road that barely qualified as a road he remarked to himself, “What the fuck am I doing?” While his car was fast on the roadway, it wasn’t designed to go off-roading. 

The flat landscape soon became a series of rolling hills with steep inclines and quick drops. Just as he reached the decision to turn around and abandoned the plan, he reached a hill and before him was miles of flat desert. Far out in the distance was the Haunshung mountain range that marks the border between the United Republic and the Earth Kingdom. 

Zuko brought the car to a stop and got out. He surveyed the land for anything out of the ordinary but all he could spot was a small structure or what looked like part of a structure in the middle of the barren landscape. He got back in his car and headed for it.

As he got close there were more tell tale signs of human activity: tire tracks, bits of rusty junk here and there, what looked like part of a burned vehicle. When he was about a mile away he stopped the car. The structure, or what was left of it, stood about fifteen to twenty-feet tall, it was metallic and appeared to be what was once a support column. 

Zuko got out and started walking forward. For some reason he felt uneasy and every couple steps he would look around. Although he was surrounded by open desert he was unnerved for some reason. He came to a stop and peered off into the desert. Nothing. He continued to walk towards the ruins. 

_ Crack! _

He looked down at his feet and found that embedded in the sand was pieces of green-colored glass. He chalked it up to being the remains of a bottle. Continuing forward he found more bits of metal sticking out of the ground. 

_ Crack! Crack! Crack! _

Zuko looked down again. The ground was covered with green glass. It covered the sand like ice on a frozen lake. These were not discarded bottles. He suddenly remembered a soldier under his command years ago during the Great Divide Campaign. The young man was a glassblower and worked with his father and grandfather before his number was picked to serve. On a cold night in the desert he used his firebending to turn the desert floor to glass. 

He looked around and saw the glass littered the desert floor. It was impossible not to step on any. Approaching the metal beams he saw that tops of each appeared to have been blasted or melted away. 

Zuko was about to turn away when noticed something had been placed at the bottom of one of the beams. It was a piece of wood that looked like it had been hastily broken off of something. Words were carved into it.

_ Trinity _

_ Daisuke Serizawa _

Zuko backed away from the beam and looked at it, the bits of wire and the green glass that surrounded it. Out of the corner of his eyes he spotted something. Dark shapes on the horizon. He started back towards his car. When he reached it he saw five sets of headlights fast approaching. 


End file.
